Practising Christians in US Embrace AI More Than General Population

AI Usage Among Practising Christians Surpasses General Population

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, practising Christians in the United States are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) more thoroughly than the general population, according to recent findings by Barna. This trend is evident in both their personal and professional lives, highlighting a significant variance in the adoption of technology.

A survey conducted among 1,514 American adults revealed that AI is utilized by 15% of respondents “very often” in their personal lives, with 16% using it “often” and 29% “sometimes.” In contrast, practising Christians reported higher engagement, with 26% using AI “very often,” 18% “often,” and 24% “sometimes.”

This pattern diverges starkly when compared to Protestant pastors. A separate survey involving 442 US pastors showed a mere 5% using AI “very often” for personal tasks, with 16% utilizing it “often” and 34% “sometimes.”

The professional use of AI also reflects this gap, with 21% of practising Christians incorporating AI “very often” into their work, compared to just 12% of the general US adult population and 6% of pastors.

Interestingly, the way AI is used unites both Christians and non-Christians. Over 60% of participants from both groups employ AI primarily for searching specific information, marking it as the most prevalent application.

Practising Christians, however, reported broader applications of AI, particularly in writing. Over 40% of them have turned to AI for tasks such as writing, editing, translating, and summarizing texts, as opposed to just over 30% of the overall US adult demographic.

Daniel Copeland, Vice President of Research at Barna, noted, “Ask people ‘yes or no’ whether they use AI, and the average pastor and the average American look about the same. It’s frequency of use where the difference actually shows up.”

He further commented, “Pastors understand that AI is out there, but they’re not immersed in it the way their engaged congregants may be. The danger for pastors is underestimating just how normal AI is for the people around them. For most practising Christians, AI isn’t for occasional use. It’s already woven into how they work, learn and make decisions.”